Can Only the Wealthy Be Healthy? | Care2 Causes

Students from affluent California families passed a statewide fitness test at far higher rates than students in low-income families. It’s a finding that one is regrettably not likely to be surprised at: As the Bay Citizen via the New York Times points out after analyzing data from the 2011 Physical Fitness Test , students from low-income families often live in urban neighborhoods where it’s too dangerous for children to go outside. Their families may be homeless and the majority, if not all, of the students are eligible to receive a free or reduced-price lunch. Their parents may work two jobs; there may be only one parent. Their parents may be immigrants fearing deportation. 83 percent of fifth-graders at Sycamore Valley Elementary in Danville, a well-heeled suburb, passed the test with healthy scores in six different measurements (aerobic capacity, abdominal strength, upp...